H. Alexander Smith

Howard Alexander Smith (January 30, 1880October 27, 1966) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Smith served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 1944 to 1959. Early life and education H. Alexander Smith was born in New York City to Abram Alexander and Sue Lehn (née Bender) Smith. His father was a physician and teacher. Smith attended the Cutler School in New York, and then enrolled at Princeton University in New Jersey. At Princeton, Smith studied jurisprudence, political science, and English common law under Woodrow Wilson. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1901, and later received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Columbia Law School in 1904. Early career In 1904, Smith was admitted to the New York State Bar Association and commenced his practice in New York City, working for the Legal Aid Society. Due to poor health, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he continued to practice law until 1917. During World War I, he worked for the United States Food Administration in Colorado and afterwards in Washington, D.C. He moved to New Jersey in 1919, and served as executive secretary (assistant to the president) of Princeton University from 1920 to 1927. He then served as a lecturer in Princeton's department of politics (1927–1930), teaching international relations and foreign policy. While continuing to live in New Jersey, Smith resumed his practice of law in New York City. He became active in state politics, helping establish the New Jersey Republican Policy Council in 1933 and being appointed treasurer of the New Jersey Republican State Committee in 1934. He was later elected chairman of the Republican State Committee, and served as a member of the Republican National Committee (1942–1943).